"Start what?" Bonnie asked. She'd returned from the bathroom and sat down, staring at them. "Come on," she said. "What are you two up to?"

Roger gave Kol a panicked look. Kol put up a hand and said, "Don't worry. It'll be all right." He looked at Bonnie. "We were just talking about a surprise we were planning for you, so you can't know about it and don't you go pushing Roger to tell you, okay? That will ruin everything!"

"What kind of surprise?" Bonnie asked. "You know how I feel about surprises.

"It's nothing bad," Kol assured her. "How could it be? It was Roger's idea!"

"It was," Roger said. "And knowing what it is, it will probably take awhile to happen."

Bonnie sighed. "Well, all right," she said. "Just don't let Kol go pushing you into anything you're not comfortable with. He has a tendency to do that."

"What?" Kol asked. "Me? How could you accuse me of something like that? I would never force Roger into doing something he wouldn't want to do!"

"If you knew it would amuse you, you would," Bonnie said. "And don't try to deny it, Kol. I know you too well."

There was silence for a few seconds and then Kol cleared his throat. "Enough about me. Now, where were we before you went off to the bathroom?"

Bonnie looked down at the Trivial Pursuit board. "I think it was my turn," She said. "I'm on a pink pie piece."

"Okay," Kol nodded, taking out a trivia card and looking at it. "What was the name of the actress who played Samantha Stephens' mother on 'Bewitched'?"

"Agnes Moorehead," Bonnie said, reaching for the dice again. "Give me a pink pie piece, please." She rolled again and landed on an orange space. "Science and Technology. I've never been good with those questions."

"Good," Kol said. "Then maybe someone else will be able to take a turn."

"You have no room to complain," Bonnie said. "You've been around. You should know stuff. It's not my fault you never picked up a book."

"Well, excuse me," Kol said. "But I had other things to do besides read. More useful things."

Bonnie's eyebrow raised. "Like what? What could possibly be more useful than reading?"

"Just things!" Kol said. "Roger, would you please ask her her question so she can miss it and we can move on with the game?"

"Okay," Roger cleared his throat and grabbed a card. "What is the atomic number of lithium on the periodic table?"

"That's my question?" Bonnie asked. "Seriously? Who would know that?"

"I do," Roger told her.

"So what's your answer?" Kol asked Bonnie with a grin, leaning against her. "You have to say something."

"Would you move away from me, please?" Bonnie asked. "You're too close and it's making concentrating difficult."

"Fine," Kol moved back from her. "What's your answer?"

"Oh, I don't know," Bonnie scoffed. "5?"

"Close," Roger said. "It's three. Good guess, though."

"Okay," Kol said, taking the dice off the board and shaking it up. "Looks like it's my turn."

They went on with the board games for an hour more, then Roger stood up. "Well, I hate to break up the fun, but I have to get going home now, you know, because of work and all."

"All right," Bonnie said, standing up too. "Would you like me to go home with you, or are you okay driving home by yourself?"

"I think I can handle getting home on my own," Roger said, sniffling. "But before we go, I need a favor. I think I left my scarf in the library. Could you go and check if it's there for me?"

"Why would you leave your scarf in the library?" Bonnie asked.

"It gets nippy in there sometimes," he said defensively. "Would you just go there and look for me? And don't be afraid to take your time."

Bonnie had been confused before, but now she grinned. "Oh, okay," she said. "I get it. I'll be sure to take my time so you guys can discuss my surprise without my knowing about it."

"Good," Roger nodded. Bonnie gave him a wink and strode off.

"So," Roger said to Kol. "How do you want to do this? Should I give you my phone number or something? Do you want me to come to your house?"

"Oh, god, no!" Kol shook his head. "If you did that, I'd never hear the end of it from my siblings. How about I come to you? Wanna give me your address? Or your phone number? Or both?"

"Well, that's okay, I guess," Roger nodded. He scribbled something on a scrap of paper and handed it it Kol, who put it in his pocket. "Any time that is better than others for me to come by?"

"You can come by any time," Roger said. "I'm not especially busy."

"Well, how about this time next week?" Kol asked. "Would that work for you?"

"Sure," Roger nodded. "Just call me to let me know you're coming and I'll be waiting for you."

"All right, mate," Kol nodded. "I'll see you then."

Roger nodded and left. Once the door closed, Kol felt a hand on his shoulder that caused him to start a little. He turned and saw Bonnie, who was grinning at his reaction. "Did I scare you?" She asked. "I'm sorry."

"No, you didn't scare me!" Kol responded, hitching his shoulders. "You didn't scare me at all!"

"Well, whatever," Bonnie said. "I just wanted to thank you for being so good tonight. I appreciate it. I honestly thought you were gonna start a bunch of trouble, and you didn't. I appreciate it. And I also appreciate whatever it is you and Roger are planning. Don't worry, I won't ask you what it is. I want to be surprised."

"Don't say you appreciate it yet," Kol said. "I don't know how it's gonna turn out. It might turn out bad." To his surprise, Bonnie gave him a wink and kissed his cheek. "Oh, I don't believe anything will go wrong," she said. "I think I can trust you with this," she said. "I know that if you want there to even be the slightest chance of us getting back together, you wouldn't do anything stupid with Roger. Am I right?"

"Oh, I get it," Kol grinned. "You don't really like him, do you? He's just some poor schmuck you dug up somewhere to wave in front of me and see how I acted. And if I behaved well, you'd dump him and let me come back. Is that what you're planning?"

"No!" Bonnie shook her head. "Of course not. That would be plain cruel. But I'm sure he won't want to be with me forever. He'll want to move on sometime."

"I don't see why he would," Kol said. "You're beautiful."

Bonnie blushed. "Well, thank you. Now, don't you think you should be getting home? I'm sure your brother and sister are eager to find out what you did tonight."

Kol nodded. "And I'm eager not to tell them. So I'll go home. Just not now."

"And where do you plan on staying while you avoid going home?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, I was hoping you wouldn't mind putting me up for the night," Kol said. "I could sleep on the sofa. I wouldn't even need a bed."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Bonnie said.

"Why not?!" Kol asked. "It's not like we've never slept in the same house before."

Bonnie walked back to the living room and began picking up the Trivial Pursuit pieces and game board. "I don't know if I can trust you," she said, her eyes not meeting his. "How do I know that if I let you stay, you won't leave the sofa in the middle of the night and sneak into my bed?"

Kol smirked. "Interesting idea. Would you like me to do that? Because I would."

Now, Bonnie looked up at him. "No, I don't," she said. "I don't want you coming into my room. I think you should stop stalling and go back to your own house."

"What do I have to do for us to get back together?" Kol asked her. "You said there was a chance somehow."

Bonnie nodded. "Maybe, but I don't know what to tell you," she said. "I'm just not ready yet. Please, let me just be with Roger for now. He's the kind of guy I need at the moment. And maybe, I don't know exactly when, a month, a year, I'll be ready for us to try again, okay?"

Kol nodded. "I'll right," he said. "I guess I'll be going now. No reason for me to stay. Unless, of course, you'd like help cleaning up?"

"No, thanks," Bonnie said. "And about that kiss I gave you earlier-"

"Let me guess," Kol said. "It wasn't supposed to mean anything. It was probably just a reflex, or something."

"Yeah," Bonnie nodded. "That's it."

Kol nodded. "All right. But let me just say, it meant something to me. Good night, Bonnie."

Bonnie put the game board and the cards in the box. "Goodnight, Kol."

He made his way to the door and as he opened it, Bonnie put a hand on his arm. "Wait a minute," she said. "If it means that much to you to stay for the night, I guess you can. But on the sofa. I'll bring you a blanket and a pillow. The weather's supposed to get nasty tonight anyway, and you're not the world's best driver."

"Well, thank you," Kol said. "I promise I won't make a big deal out of this."

He took off his coat and Bonnie went to the linen closet to get him a blanket and a pillow. "I know it's a bit early for bed," he said. "What do you want to do until we're tired?"

Bonnie shrugged. "You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna go to my room to read. But do me a favor, would you? If you decide to watch television, put it on mute with captions, please. That way, the noise won't keep me awake."

Kol nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he said. They stood in silence for a moment, and then Bonnie said, "Anything else I can get you before I turn in? Within reason, I mean."

"No," Kol shook his head. "I'm all right. You sleep well, Bonnie."

"You too," Bonnie said. "Good night, Kol."

Kol left Bonnie a note near the phone early the next morning telling her that he'd left and thanking her for her hospitality. Then, he got in his car and went home, praying it was still early enough that Klaus and Rebekah were still in bed and he could just sneak in without it turning into a big production. He was in no mood to justify why he spent the night at Bonnie's to either of his siblings. He parked his car in the driveway, opened the door and went inside. The windows had no lights in them, but light immediately blossomed in the entryway once he closed the front door.

"Well, well, well," Rebekah said. "And just why were you out all night, hmmm?"

"None of your business is why," Kol said.

"Please don't tell me that you tried to get in good with Bonnie and she rejected you so you spent the whole night drinking and then holed up in some fleabag motel for the night," Rebekah said with her arms crossed. "That's desperate, even for you."

"I wasn't at some hotel," Kol said. "I stayed at Bonnie's at her insistence. She didn't want me driving when the weather was bad."

"So did she stick you on the sofa while she and Roger shared a bed?" Rebekah asked with a smirk. "Was it hard for you to get to sleep?"

"Roger went home, actually," Kol said. "Bonnie said nothing about him staying the night. It was only me."

"Well, maybe she's on a path to forgiving you after all," Rebekah said, softening a little. "Congratulations."

"Well, look who's here!" Klaus exclaimed. "So, how much did we say you owed me, Bekah? Did he end up at a hotel?"

"No," Rebekah said. "Shock of the century, Bonnie let him stay the night, even if it was only on the sofa."

"And you aren't gonna believe this," Kol said. "But Roger wants me to help him become more sophisticated. The question is, do I take advantage of Roger's trust in me and ruin him, or do I just play nice and actually help him out?"

"Will one way help you get Bonnie's heart quicker than the other?" Klaus asked.

Kol shook his head. "She told me last night that we could have another chance at some far-off time in the future, but that Roger is the man she needs right now. But at the same time, she also kissed me. I'm sensing mixed signals here."

"Well, hold on to that, then," Rebekah encouraged. "It's better than nothing."